New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that there have been no trade discussions between India and Pakistan since last year, stressing upon that India has not ceased trade with its neighbour.
Speaking to reporters at the Indian embassy in Washington, Jaishankar clarified that neither country has made any proposals to resume commerce. He is currently in the United States, where he attended the inauguration of the 47th US President, Donald Trump.
“There have been no talks about trade with Pakistan after last year, nor has there been any initiative from their side,” Jaishankar remarked when asked about the status of trade relations.
He also noted that India never halted trade, pointing out that Pakistan took steps to cut trade ties in 2019. “Our concern has always been that while we granted them Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status, they never reciprocated.”
“Every country has the sovereign right to make decisions about its international commitments. We may have differing perspectives on this,” he concluded.
In August 2019, Pakistan, under then-Prime Minister Imran Khan, downgraded diplomatic relations with India and suspended trade following the revocation of Article 370, which had granted special status to Kashmir.
Last August, Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) reiterated that trade with India was not under consideration due to the unchanged situation in Kashmir.
According to then-FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, “The situation remains the same, and there are no ongoing bilateral talks regarding trade between the two nations.”
